Growing Up
by Marina C. Luna
Summary: It's been 12 years since Chi found her "one and only" and Minoru has patiently waited for Yuzuki to return his feelings but realizes that someone has to make the first move to start a change and big changes do not happen overnight.
1. Chapter 1

**Yuzuki's PV**

It's been over a decade since Chi launched the program that gives persocoms the ability to express their feelings and things have changed quite a bit around the world, however in what I like to call our own little world, that small but very close circle of friends that I now dare to call family, things have gone well, most of the changes have been somewhat predictable and welcome.

Minoru-Sama has grown to be a wonderful man, he recently became a lawyer and handles complicated cases related to persocoms, the laws are still being adjusted, we have some basic rights and rules now, for example we have the right to choose our love partner and job, some could even been adopted to the family if they have been together for long enough and nobody is against it, but we are not allowed to be responsible for young children or pets, the laws for rape and sexual harassment are the same for humans and persocoms and was one of the first ones to appear, until this day it is still the one that gets most people in trouble.

We can no longer be sold or traded of course and there is much debate on when it should be allowed to create a persocom now, the main manufacturers were forced to become some sort of private hospitals for the time being to stay in business and so we can get repaired or even get our version of a plastic surgery, we do not age but as it turns out, with feelings comes the good and the bad, some do it out of vanity or to be more practical, but I've heard of some with a more dramatic past where they are forced to change their looks to hide from possessive owners.

As for my old workmates, the other maids in the Kokubunji manor, they made their own lives, some of them just had different interests and changed careers, others fell in love, whatever the reason was Minoru-Sama always supported their decision and even helped them get started by lending an apartment and giving them some money in thanks for their services (we might not need food but our electric bills are high in winter!)

It will sound strange but I think Minoru-Sama thought of them as daughters, whenever we said goodbye to any of them he had this proud look on his face and something else I can't quite point out, maybe he was starting to miss them already, he made them after all and that is all he had while growing up before he came across Chi and her friends, but you have to accept it is just weird to see a teenager behave like a father to a girl... well, persecom, that looks almost twice his age, then again Minoru-Sama has always been so mature and so kind, he might have dressed the staff in skimpy clothes at one point but he was young and it was just a phase, back when he used to think of me as a replacement for his sister Kaede, even then he always took care of us. God I miss him.

I guess I should start talking about myself. Let's see... I was with Minoru-Sama until he was 18, then he left the country to go to college and since he was going to live in an apartment he no longer needed help with domestic chores, but he did need someone he could trust to take care of the manor, to be honest I wanted to go with him, but how could I say no to such request? I knew how important was his home to him and I was honored he asked me, he also offered a great salary so I could even hire help if I did not want to do things myself. He knew that I would have accepted even without pay, I knew he would have made that deposit in my bank account whether I liked it or not.

At first, quite honestly I had no idea what to do, the first month I tried to do everything myself, I no longer had to cook or attend visitors so most of my time was spent cleaning and taking care of the garden, but it is such a big place that even a persocom like myself would end up exhausted at the end of the day, so I gave in and hired a maid to keep the first level in perfect condition and a gardener who would take care of the garden and on his free time would help clean up the second level, which did not require that much effort really, everything was untouched, it was just a matter of keeping dust from piling up and vent the rooms now and then, there was only one area of the second level I took care of myself, it was where my own bedroom was and at the end of the hall Minoru-Sama's until this day his bedroom has become my sanctuary, after 5 years it still smells like him, more than once I ended up falling asleep before I could realize I was actually sleepy, his scent takes me to such state of relaxation it still amazes me.

We never stopped communicating, of course I was sad when he made it clear he would not be able to come back even on holidays, he is a genius and could have taken the free time or finish faster than that if only he wasn't responsible for his family business, but alas he was. Still he was kind enough to check on me on regular basis, at first he would call me every weekend and write once a month, as time passed by he was just more busy and it could take him quite a while to get in touch with me, so I stopped waiting to hear from him and just felt lucky whenever he had the time to, it was easier for me this way.

I started visiting our old friends every once in a while and even went on tiny trips near by, I had never been outside the city, in fact I didn't even know the city that well... ok ok, maybe I did because of my sophisticated navigation system but it's not the same as actually walking and being there! The little of the city I did "really" know was because sometimes Minoru-Sama asked me to walk with him but it would be either to his favorite park or to the graveyard to visit their parents tomb. I would be lying if I said I was not fond of those places and visited them by myself a few times when I could have gone somewhere else, somewhere new, but being there would remind me how it felt to walk next to him and a feeling of warmth would grow on my chest.

By the end of the second year I felt pretty independent, I still had impeccable manners and was myself, but at the same time I felt more relaxed, I honestly enjoyed doing anything I could for Minoru-Sama but with this new found peace and so much free time I learned that to focus on myself would not hurt anyone, there was nobody else to focus on anyway! I also developed a fashion sense, it was still somewhat modest but I guess it is natural when you don't have a flashy personality you simply are not interested in flashy clothes, but I did like pretty and feminine things.

I discovered I just love sundresses but they are not the most practical thing to wear everyday, so I saved them for special occasions, I would mostly wear a nice pair of jeans and a cute top, some could be considered sexy but none showed too much skin, I was not comfortable with that, also nothing too girly, I had the face and body of a young woman and that would just look silly on me, I think compared to a human I might look 21-22 years old so I dressed accordingly.

Minoru-Sama would always make time for a routine check once a year no matter what, he was adamant about it and when I told him I could have it done at the persocom hospital he almost sounded offended, so I figured who was I to complain? He just cared for me and wanted to make sure I was healthy, it took longer than in person because we had to secure a direct connection through internet and he was not able to check the hardware but it was nice because we would get to talk for hours, that meant more to me than he could ever imagine, even if it was just once a year, I always though of it as my birthday present, after the first time he did it, he just kept doing it the same date every year, I suppose it is easier to remember that way, but it made me feel special, I wish I had a birthday, Chi has one but she is different.

Somewhere between the third and fourth year of being alone I became a little more adventurous and asked Minoru-Sama if it was ok to travel a little because I already knew all the surrounding area and the city pretty well and he approved as long as I promised to be careful, I did and I was off on my way, saw different places with beautiful scenery, met interesting people and I started to change little things, some violet highlights first to go with my blue hair hair resulting in some sort of bluish-amethyst color that would match my eyes and after some time I stopped braiding my hair and just let the mix of curls and waves free, but it would get a little in the way since it was past my waist, when I would sit on it by accident it did not look very nice, so I cut it a little, just to waist level that way I did not have to worry when sitting down.

Well let's just say that when I was done with my traveling and went back to get everything ready for Minoru-Sama to come back home, the change in attitude and looks made Hideki-San walk right past me while I was shopping for vegetables, I thought of saying hi, I did keep in touch and visited them before I started traveling, but instead I just smiled and figured it would be nice to see Minoru-Sama's surprised face, I don't think I've ever seen him surprised and if someone recognize me first they might tell him, all this years we only talked on the phone or by emailing you see, I never mentioned any changes because they were so tiny and unimportant, but it has been such a long time so I guess they pilled up.

Suddenly I was even more excited about seeing Minoru-Sama again, my heart was pounding and I started to ask myself what should I wear, started thinking of all his favorite foods and thinking what to prepare, should I greet him like I always did? Like nothing had changed? I am not sure I could, I was too excited about it and wasn't sure if I could control myself enough to not run and give him a very big hug!...

wondering where that thought came from while I blushed I said out loud:

"a hug?"

and then I smiled, maybe I've changed more than I realized.

* * *

Note.- This is my very first try at writing a fanfic or anything for that matter, it was supposed to be a one shot but I think it might turn into 3 chapters at least. I do not have a beta reader and I am still trying to figure out how things work around the site, I would appreciate any advice or opinion you might have :)

Marina C. Luna


	2. Chapter 2

Everything was ready, the house was impeccable and his favorite food was prepared, it was too early to cook and that would spoil the flavors so she did as much as she could in case he arrived hungry, she also called everyone to let them know Minoru would arrive later this evening so they could drop by tomorrow morning to say hi if they wished, so he had time to rest... and to have her for herself if only a few hours but she of course did not mention this, everyone knew though, it was just that obvious.

It took her forever to find the perfect dress and was afraid to put it on too early because it might wrinkle or stain before he got here, she was alone trying to calm down, gave the maid and gardener a week off just because she wanted to do everything for Minoru, feeling a bit childish and selfish she told herself it was ok, it's been 5 years of distracting herself, of trying to not think of him, of struggeling sad feelings.. yes, she did not admit it to before because she refused to drown in self pity, she knew he would come back and that was more than enough for her and the day had finally arrived. The 2 employees would still around tomorrow doing some final touch ups before they got ready for their trip and helping her in the morning but they would be gone in the day, probably around noon before the last guests left ensuring her alone time once everyone else had dropped by to say hi and talked for a bit.

What our dear Yuzuki did not know was it was even harder for Minoru to wait, he had long realized about his feelings for her and wanted nothing more than to be with her, but she was not ready. Every time he would wave one of his maids goodbye, specially the ones that left because they felt in love and were moving in with their loved one or getting married, he would long for the day Yuzuki returned his feelings, but things were complicated.

He stopped trying to turn her into his sister a long time ago, but he had the feeling that she might still see him as family, he was nothing but a teenager after all and they pretty much grew up together, it was natural she did not think of him as a man, even when he knew she loved him, there are different kinds of love and what he felt for her was not the brotherly kind, the only thing that kept him away from her in those first years when his hormones started going crazy was the fact that she looked so much like his sister, it was confusing.

And that is how he made up his mind, he would leave with the excuse of studying in another country and would ask her to take care of his home, he knew she would do so just because he asked no matter if she in fact wanted to go with him, but that was the problem you see, she now would show more emotions but she had kept their relationship the same, she didn't seem to want to change anything, less sophisticated persocoms would grow new interests, fall in love even, but not her, she seemed perfectly happy as things were, she smiled a bit more but that was not much of a change to him, he knew when she was happy before that.

He knew she was diferent from the other persocoms, maybe because of it she was more complicated, after all only Chi was superior to her but she was designed to live her life and fall in love, she also was free of the burden of a past when she met Hideki while sweet Yuzuki had been built to become a replacement for Kaede, he never gave her a choice and modified her personality until even her mannerisms were like hers, what a fool he had been...

While doing something similar to what Hibiya did would probably solve the problem, no, don't get me wrong I do not mean delete everything and leave her in a dumpster for some fool to find (but getting rid of any traits that might remain from his sister personality), her own personality had already started to develop, based on his sister yes, but turning into something different, something new he had fell in love with and he would not risk to change that, he would have to wait until she matured and turned into the persocom, no, the woman, she wished to become by herself.

As mature as he was, Minoru was still young and unexperienced, the time away from her would allow him to give someone else a chance, after all he could not wait for her his whole life, he made up his mind that if things did not change when he was back he would learn to love her as family, he could not force her into returning his feelings and maybe he would meet someone someday, maybe she would. But before that, deep down he knew he would not be able to completely commit to someone else but he still tried, it would be easier this way if things didn't turn out the way he hoped, not to mention the young man had needs and there were plenty of willing women to help him with that, after all he was young, handsome, smart and rich, unlike Hideki he did not have to limit himself to magazines.

He thought back to the innocent boy that left home and wondered if Yuzuki would still be able to be the same around him, even if her personality had not changed his had, but he knew better, on the yearly check ups he could tell she had changed as well, but when talking on the phone she would still call him Minoru-Sama, he was used to it but was not sure what his feelings were when he heard her say his name like that, uneasy perhaps but he always pushed it to the back of his mind and kept telling himself it might just be an habit, he made a mental note on asking her about this someday.

**Minoru's PV**

I told Yuzuki I would arrive in the evening but I couldn't wait, I changed my flight and arrived there early that morning, it was good to be back home, as much as I wanted to see her it's been 5 years without visiting my parents grave so I went there to apologize for not being there for so long and just gather my thoughts.

"Mother, Father, wish me luck"

It was still too early and thought of visiting some of my friends but changed my mind before I was done with that thought, I really wanted to see Yuzuki first, unlike with her, I did talk to them regularly by video call, I asked them to keep this a secret from her to not hurt her feelings, it would be too much for me to see her face, also if I kept in touch too often it would be almost like I was still there, but if I stopped talking to her all together I would worry about her and she might get the wrong idea, so I would talk to her less and less often as time passed by, I would always ask my friends how she was doing and if they have seen her though, not to mention I took my sweet time on the yearly check ups, which was really an excuse to hear her voice.

She once suggested to just go to the persocom hospital to have her yearly check but it was nonsense, it was a bad idea for too many reasons and as hard as it was to admit it I didn't like the idea of anyone else touching her, she was too complex, what if they damaged her somehow? Or try to touch her in an improper way while doing her hardware check up? because of her nature I knew she didn't want to be a burden, but she could never be that, she was like a soft breeze in spring gentle and calming, no matter how busy I was, hearing her voice or even thinking about her sometimes would give me enough energy to keep going and try harder to become someone she could look up to.

I checked the time... 9:00am? It's still kind of early, I guess I am just too excited that time seems to pass too slowly, a walk on the park sounds nice, after that I will go home and hopefully get to talk to Yuzuki for a while before everyone starts arriving, knowing her she probably prepared something and invited everyone over to welcome me back, I was not supposed to arrive until 6pm but I don't want to risk someone showing up a bit too early and take a way the chance of some time alone with her.

My favorite park looked exactly the same, it reminded me of all those times that we went for a walk together, I sat on a bench and relaxed clearing my mind for a moment and just take in the beauty of my surroundings, after a little while I catched some movement out of the corner of my eye, it was a girl feeding the ducks, beautiful amethyst hair flowing under the gentle sun, she was standing up with her back to me but her siluette was still quite a view, she was not wearing revealing clothes but her beautiful figure was obvious, she looked relaxed and like him just pretty much enjoying the moment, for a second I was tempted to move to get a look at her face.

Had I been overseas I would have done so and if pleased with what I saw would have talked to her by now, actually I would probably already have asked her out, stopping that train of thought immediately I scowled to himself to even have those kinds of thoughts, sure I dated quite a few women and many more threw themselves at me but I am home now and my only purpose is to sort things out with my angel, because that was what Yuzuki is to me, I've never doubted for a second she would date someone else while I was away and I would almost feel guilty when I would wake up all hot and bothered from some very interesting dreams I had of her... almost.

*sigh* time to go home.

I arrived and the manor looked empty, that was strange Yuzuki told me she hired some help, but then again it was only 2 persocoms and instead of using the intercom I just let himself in and walked towards the front door, maybe she had asked the gardener to help out with preparing things inside... as I opened the door it was just as quiet as outside, confused I headed to the kitchen and saw that there was a lot of things prepared to be cooked, but nothing cooked yet, nobody around though.

I frowned a little on my way to the security room to check what time she had left and to take a look at the missing maid and gardener who I had not met yet. It was 11am and checked at the entrance camera until I saw someone come out, a girl that turned around fast to lock the door behind her, her amethist hair catched my attention, she looked a lot like the girl in the park, I wasn't completely sure because of the angle of the camera but it seemed she was wearing at the very least similar clothes, could she be the maid that was hired? I looked at the time this was recorded and smiled, only to be shocked right after.

The girl in the monitor turned around, a gentle smile on her face and obviously in a cheerful mood, she was beautiful... she was...

"...Yuzuki?..."

At first when checking the time I figured it was just a coincidence that I might have met the maid on her day off, but that face, it had to be Yuzuki, with plastic surgery available to persocoms I could no longer be so sure about Yuzuki's face being unique anymore so just to make sure I checked back until I saw a male persecom "ah, the gardener and handyman" and kept going until I saw another girl, indeed the maid looked nothing like her, she wore a uniform to start with, she had straight brown hair that did not reach her shoulders and a more petite frame a little bit shorter he guessed and certainly less curvy than Yuzuki.

With a smile on my face I went to my room to have a quick shower while muttering:

"My angel grew up more than I thought"

* * *

Note.- Ok at first it is narrators PV, I hope it is not confusing. After this chapter there will finally be some dialogue, I am just trying to give an idea of how the last 12 years has been for each of them and the way their mind works, please let me know if they sound too much like crazy people who are talking to themselves all the time ^_^;

Marina C. Luna

Update.- There is a slight problem with the time line now that I re-read the story to try to remember where I was going with it so I needed to modify this chapter ever so slightly, only a few words really but chapter 3 will remain the same while chapter 4 will also have to be slightly modified followed by chapter 5 posted immediatly after I am done tweaking, it is already written, hopefully I will pick up from there very fast and I can wrap up the story :)


	3. Chapter 3

Yuzuki got back to the manor in very high spirits, she ran to her room and decided she would use Minoru-Sama's room one last time before he got here, she took the dress and everything she had prepared this morning and a little basket that had all her beauty products, which were not much really since she always opted for the natural look, being as efficient as always the extra room in the little basket was used for a towel and other things she used when she showered. She looked at the time, it was not even noon yet!

"How can time pass by so slowly?" she wondered, staring at the dress and then at the basket, she sighed and took her clothes off, with a pout on her face and the basket in hand she walked in to the bathroom to have a nice long bath before getting dressed.

As soon as she opened the door a warm mist hit her face which she barely registered as she stared at the beautiful and incredibly sexy creature in the bathtub staring right back at her, both frozen in the moment neither dared to move, the tub was still full with water and whatever addiments he might have used. While his broad shoulders and strong arms were clearly in view the rest of him was safely hidden, her mind was not working yet but her subconcious did not abandoned her completely, a soft blush froming on her face and the arm that was holding the basket slowly sliding against her skin to hide her sex...

"my breasts!" she blurted out in realization jumping a littlee making Minoru have quite a sight (a bit too brief for his taste) of the lovely set moving before she pulled the towel on the rack right next to the entrance of the bathroom and hold it against her, it was then that she realized it would be far more easy to hide her body if she just steped back and closed the door, without turning back because of her situation she did so, not without catching the little wicked smile on his face and as the door closed a devilish glint in his eyes.

'Hmm... interesting' he thought, going back in his mind to the lovely image of Yuzuki when she opened the door thinking she was walking into an empty bathroom, the cutest pout on her face, her long wavy hair cascading down her back, that beautiful skin and luscious curves, which for a moment made him wonder how did she end up with those curves, sure he chose her body, but it was chosen to look like that of his sister, he was so young back then, 'maybe objects looked bigger than they appeared back then' getting up and noticing certain situation he turned the knob of shower for a very quick very cold shower.

Once under control, still smiling at the situation, he walked out the bathroom.

WAAA PERVERT! - Yuzuki yelped covering her eyes

"Excuse me little lady but I believe this is MY bedroom, not to mention it was MY towel that you took before walking out of MY bathroom" – he said with amusement in his voice while picking up his towel from the floor and wrapping it around his waist, he half hoped that she was still in shock when he came out, but that quick cold shower gave her enough time to put a dress on, funny enough she had not moved from her spot after that and he made a point of take advantage of it, this was much too fun.

"Umm, Minoru-Sama? I apologize, I was just very surprised that's all..."

"Yuzuki, you may uncover your eyes, I am wearing a towel now. Besides, after calling me a pervert I would guess you are ready to drop the honorific"

Her eyes went wide, she paled and then blushed again, it was amazing how fast she was able to go from one emotion to another now, he also took note of her modesty and his reaction to it, with nothing but a towel on he might find himself in an uncomfortable situation again and this time she would probably notice, so he figured it was time to let the poor girl to catch a break.

He took one last look and when he saw how tense and worried she had become he made his voice softer as to not to startle her "Don't worry about it Yuzuki, I am not offended, it was a simple misunderstanding because I did not let you know I would get here earlier. How about having lunch together? I miss your cooking"

She let out a breath she did not know was holding and smiled, she let him know she would start cooking and be waiting downstairs, not before trying to discretely get her basket and putting things back inside it.

He stared at her while she left, the way the fabric of the dress was moving against her body made him guess in the rush she had not put a bra on and that was the reason she rushed to try get her things before he could notice, he wondered if she had time to put any panties on. Seriously, it had not even been one day together and he already felt like that horny teenager all over again, to make it worse he caught something out of the corner of his eye, it was the clothes she had taken off before going to the bathroom lying innocently on the floor, the ones she was wearing when he saw her in the park, including a not so innocent lacy bra and panties to match!

It was quite tempting, she left him with a fresh image of her beautiful naked body and the clothes she just changed out of a few minutes ago, he could certainly use taking the edge off so they could at least have a normal conversation at lunch, but then again how would he be able to focus on a conversation if he left his mind drift to dangerous territory?

"To hell with it" – he said, is not like he was this creepy pervert, he would get what he wanted and he would get it soon.

* * *

Thank you so much for the kind reviews and for those that who put it on their story alert, the reason I haven't updated in so long is because a mix of laziness (i'm sorry!) and feeling a little stuck, I feel this deserves more than a 3 shot but still sorting out what to do with the story, any suggestions would be appreciated :)

Marina C. Luna


	4. Chapter 4

The usual 3rd person point of view but with more dialogue going on in this chapter, I hope it's not too confusing:

" abc " - Minoru

' abc ' - Yuzuki

~ abc ~ - Maid

- abc - - Gardener

Marina C. Luna

* * *

Yuzuki was happily cooking lunch for Minoru-sama trying not to let her mind wonder too much about their little encounter... but boy had he grown... *ahem* as in taller and older, not anything pervy of course, even while he calmly walked out of the bathroom naked with little water drops still slidding against his skin, along the creases of those gently but oh so elegantly defined abs, down that lovely line starting at his hip bone and trading to... nope, she didn't see nothing private, she turned away before that... or closed her eyes... yes! She closed her eyes before getting a "real" look at anything private...

But looks aside, it was like a different person really, he showed no sign of shame, he could have been wearing Armani instead of naked by the looks on his face, then again my god that was a FINE birthday suit he had! it was a very assertive man standing in front of her with a hint of playfulness which only made her knees go weaker and make her blush even more, actually thinking back to it, just the thought of him makes her pulse raise and feel a rush of excitement and something else, it was almost time for her yearly check up so maybe something was wrong with her, she would make sure to ask Minoru-sama, but that would have to wait until they had a nice long conversation and catch up, she would indulge in that much at least after such a long wait.

"That smells great Yuzuki"

'Thank you Minoru-sama, I will serve you right away' she said while turning around with a pleased smile but stopping dead on her tracks when he saw the look on his face, he had a predatory look in his eyes.

"Good, I am _starving_" he said without letting his sight drop to the food, instead going down her body when saying the last part in a short yet lingering moment and the next moment he was sitting like nothing happened.

As they had lunch she was able to relax, the conversation started a bit forced, she was trying too hard to sound natural but as soon as he took over things just flowed, she could only imagine this is how it would be if someone who has never danced before suddenly found herself in the arms of prince charming leading her with such grace that it would seem she had been dancing forever.

"Do the maid and gardener no longer work here? Did you have a problem with them?"

'Oh, no I just let them have a little break today since tomorrow it will be their first real busy day attending guests and such, they are both new at this and even if it is not a real party most of our friends will be here, they will go on vacation for a week after helping tomorrow for a little bit though'

He smiled tenderly at her at the sound of 'our friends' and when they were done with lunch he suggested a stroll down the gardens so they can continue their talk, this was a welcome idea to Yuzuki since she had done some minor changes to the garden and was eager to hear his opinion about them, the rest of the afternoon went by before they knew it and she was very relaxed now sitting on the couch with him in the living room by the fireplace.

After catching up there was a moment of silence, they were both contently drinking their tea, or so Yuzuki thought until she felt Minoru-sama's eyes on her, they looked almost haunted reflecting the fireplace, his voice changed a little, it felt soothing and warm like decadent silky dark chocolate melting in her mouth but even more exquisite, so much that she was starting to have problems registering what he was saying and she failed to notice he had moved closer or maybe she did notice and this is why she was starting to feel a bit light-headed? But this was Minoru-sama, she had never felt like this before around him, maybe that check up was really needed this time.

Minoru could see the wheels turning in her head, she was certainly having a reaction to his subtle moves but decided to let her off the hook for tonight, he was tired after the long flight and he had yet to see her interact with other people after all, while he wanted to rush things around he cared enough for her to not push things too much and right now she seemed confused, they still had all morning to talk and after their friends were gone he could go back to try to seduce his angel.

'Minoru-sama, what kind of breakfast would you like tomorrow?'

He pondered for a moment and proceded to explain the kind of breakfast he would usually have while he was away, a few new foods he had the chance to try that he liked and some others he didn't like too much, finishing off saying "so that should be enough information for a pleasant surprise"

She smiled and could see there was no shadow of a doubt crossing her mind, she was already arranging breakfast in her mind for him. It was amazing how efficient Yuzuki could be, but he was happy that she took into consideration his changes, this in a way acknowledged him if not as a man at least as no longer that kid that grew up by her side, which was quite an improvement and just helped boost his confidence a bit more.

The next day the maid and the gardener showed up early ready for work, she asked them to be as silent as possible since Minoru-sama was still resting and went through a small reminder of how things should be handled for when their guests arrived, making sure they understand the right balance between being polite and friendly since this was not some formal event and how not having the right disposition might make the guests feel uncomfortable. She really cared for this 2, even though they had obviously not had much human contact previously and kept pretty much to themselves, she seldom mentioned this to Minoru-sama the night before and said he would get to meet them after breakfast.

They had showed up with no references and no previous experience but where obviously fast learners and they explained they were trying to start from scratch, both had a kind quality to them, specially Zima who looked particularly human when he stared at Dita sometimes and tended to analize behavior so much that Yuzuki thought he would make a good psychologist or philosopher if only it was allowed. He had a bit of that older brother figure vibe to him, while the petite persecom was quite obvlious to her effect on the tall guy and always tried her best to do her tasks properly with a serious look on her face, she had an interesting mix of fiery personality with much assertivness and even a few cute clumsy moments here and there. She kept this extra information to herself since it was just personal notes about their personality.

Anyways, they would get to meet Minoru-sama and help her today, after that they could start their vacation time, they had never taken one since they were hired and this was a great excuse to send them away while Minoru-sama was around, besides, traveling did wonders for her, she was sure that they would benefit from it as well.

Minoru wakes up early, he had been very tired from his flight and he fell into a deep sleep quite fast, with the excitement of seeing Yuzuki again he ended up getting up a bit earlier than expected but he knew she would probably be up already, living alone with no staff made him quite independent so he was not going to lay around waiting for her to show up with breakfast to wake him up, but he would not deny her the pleasure of making breakfast for him either, she sounded so excited about it yesterday after all, however he had turned into a bit of a caffeine addict so he needed his cup of coffee to function, so off he was to the kitchen.

~ Oh!, Minoru-san? Good morning ~

"Good morning, you are the maid Yuzuki hired am I correct?"

~ Yes, my name is Dita, nice to meet you. Yuzuki-san went to buy a few things to prepare breakfast for you, should I contact her to come back? ~

"no need for that, is the gardener around? I would like to meet him"

~ Of course, I'll go get him ~

Minoru was drinking his coffee trying to get rid of that sleepy haze, he was never a morning person but something on the back of his mind was nagging him, that maid looked familiar, he had seen her on the security cam before but it was just a quick glimpse to confirm the previous beauty was indeed Yuzuki, so it couldn't be that, which reminded him he had barely taken a look to the gardener when checking, he just confirmed he was male before forgetting all about it so this will be his first time meeting him in a way.

As soon as he walked in his brain woke up with a zap though, that height and chiseled face, he cursed himself for not being more careful about who Yuzuki hired or at the very least to not notice when he took that quick glimpse at the security cam, it was Zima, the persecom that mailed him the pictures of the chobits project, it wasn't until he was standing right next to Dita that he realized she was that security persecom who so fiercely protected him, the change of image and attitude did not let him recognize her at first, but now taking a closer look the only real change was her hair being a tiny bit longer and styled in a diferent way, a little bit lighter than he remembered perhaps but it just might be the sunlight, the rat's tail braid not anywhere in sight and on that note Zima's rat tail braid was nowhere to be seen either, his hair cut and attitude was pretty much the same. Not wearing such flashy clothes made a world of difference he noticed.

"So you've been around Yuzuki for 5 years, what is your business with her? If you wanted to contact me you would have done so already without the need of becoming employed here"

-My, aren't we paranoid?- Zima said -We mean no harm, because of the law changes we are unable to stay working as we were and while the goverment finds us a suitable job we are on hold so to speak, the opportunity came up to apply for this job and thought it was a perfect chance to see Dita dressed in a cute maid outfit, but if it bothers you we will simply not come back after the vacation time Yuzuki-san has offered us, she knows nothing about our past and would appreciate it if you keep it that way-

"nobody knows you are here then?"

-I contacted Hibiya-san to let her know of our intentions once we were hired, being the discrete lady that she is, she has only given the necessary information to the right people

"And you working in my house spending so much time with Yuzuki even though I was directly involved with that... issue, where we met, does not include me in the list of right people?"

-Hibiya-san and I agreed that due your attatchment to Yuzuki-san you would be overprotective of her and come back, ruining your current plans, everyone else was ok with it as long as we kept a reasonable distance from Yuzuki-san to not interfere with whatever decisions she made, which was very easy once she started to travel, there is a good chance we won't be able to get a job anytime soon, might as well get used to regular life-

"The change sure made you more talkative" Minoru said, taking a mental note on how even though his demeanor was pretty much the same he gained a sense of humor, had he not been a bit paranoid and guilty over not finding out he had militar persecoms working as a maid and gardener in his house he would had laughed at his sly jokes sneaked in the middle of the serious conversation.

-It is mostly out of respect I do all this explaining, the plan was Hibiya-san telling you all this in private when you got back, she was to contact you before meeting up with everyone, thus before you got the chance to see us-

Minoru was not happy about being kept in the dark about this, but he trusted Chi's mother to be a smart and wise woman, she surely kept close tabs on these 2 for him, he would have to call her right away.

"Very well, when Yuzuki comes back just let her know we already met when I came downstairs to get my coffee and that she can bring breakfast to the study when it's ready"

~ Uhm, excuse me... Minoru-San? ~ Dita jumped in right before he left to his study.

~ I was just wondering if we should re-arrange our plans for our vacation? We are supposed to leave later in the afternoon and we will be gone for the week. ~

"Oh yes Yuzuki already mentioned that, keep your plans as they were, it's fine with me"

Once in the study he had a long phone call confirming Zita's and Dita's story and once at ease he started preparing things for Yuzuki's annual check up, for 5 years he had not performed a hardware check and had selfeshly asked her not to go get it somewhere else, so he would make sure everything was ready for an in-depth check up which was due in only a week.

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Ok, writting block seems to be gone, back to 2k+words chapters :) and the story is starting to pick up I think, next chapter it's the friends reunion and a worried Yuzuki, I might be able to wrap up the story in 6 chapters, it will be 7 at most.

Marina C. Luna

Update: Tiny modification due mistake in time line, correction in chapter 2 as well


	5. Chapter 5

Yuzuki was done with her shopping and looking forward to cook for Minoru-Sama, she had left extra early that morning once she decided to add some fresh seasonal produce to the menu, truth is she could have done it the day before but that would have meant to leave the house, and with that his company... for a few hours and she just couldn't have that, she finally had him back and she would be a bit selfish and hogg his company as much as she could because with her luck he would leave for years again soon!

She arrived to find Dita the maid preparing everything for their guests and informing her that Zima and her had met their employer already when he came down to get his morning coffee.

' Oh my, he already had his coffee? I better hurry then ' Yuzuki seemed a little flustered and was hurrying along without accepting the maid's help, she said it would be faster that way but truth to be told she wanted to do everything for him. Meantime Minoru was reading in his study, he had already finished waking up and was getting hungry but knew that it would break Yuzuki's heart if he dared to even touch some fruit or any kind of snack so he patiently waited, he knew it wouldn't be long now, he had a view to the gate from that window ad saw her enter holding a grocery bag a moment ago, she had a happy skip to her step, that lovely smile, he could even bet she was humming to herself, it was quite the adorable view.

It took only about 10mins before she was knocking at the door with his breakfast, they had very pleasant coversation and just enjoyed each other's company until it was time to get ready for their friends, the conversation was kept pretty light with some quiet (yet not uncomfortable) moments but there was some interesting little details being exchanged, such as little jokes on Minoru's side and some appreciative glances on Yuzuki's part along with a blush here and there, they were communicating at another level, testing the waters, flirting you could say.

Everyone started arriving, time went by fast catching up with old friends, as often as Minoru would talk to them there was many things left unsaid from what he saw and he was wondering what important news he might have missed on his angel's side due the limited communication they had in these last few years, he then started thinking of the possibility of her meeting someone else in her travels, he could tell Yuzuki was still pretty innocent so he knew if she indeed get in a relationship she had not gone far, most importantly if she fell in love she would have said so, but the idea of her meeting someone special who might spark her interest was not too far fetched, she did manage without his company for years after all, she did developed her own interests, she could have easily made new acquaintances that she never felt the need to mention.

"This train of thought is not the healthiest" he thought to himself, he was finally back and only until now there was a tiny doubt in his heart that things might not go as planned, he was ready for many possibilities, including her rejection but not to her falling for someone else before she gave him a real chance to win her over, being so close to his goal made him fear a little, he was suddenly less talkative and everyone assumed he was just tired and perhaps suffering from a slight case of jet lag, he just let them think what they pleased but made a mental note to get spend more private time with Yuzuki and get close enough so she feels comfortable talking about personal things by the time of her check up.

Unknown to Minoru, she had picked up his mood change, the thoughtful stares didn't exactly help to make it less clear not to mention he was borderline ignoring her, chosing to talk with the guests when he did talk and avoiding her a little... Yuzuki did feel a little neglected but she knew she was just being selfish, in fact to be completely honest she was also being a bit paranoid because she could swear she noticed looking at her possesively, they were among old friends so it's not like he could be jealous of anyone around them, unless Zima the gardener (at the moment working as a caterer) was the problem, but he was so busy with things they were not interacting much, now that she thought about it for all the time they have spent together she never was able to get too close to those 2, maybe they were just trying to be professional and see her as their employer, they didn't know Minoru-Sama after all and she did hire them herself, it was fine with her if they didn't want to risk crossing the professional line, though to be fair she figured they were being a bit too strict with it and hoped she would see them as extended family someday.

Noticing the 2 of them still had things to work out, the whole gang took their leave and figured they should give them a few days so they can adjust to each other again, in a way they were starting from scratch, the city had changed so much as well that you could even say Minoru needed to get out there and get to know the city again so right before leaving Hibiya suggested Yuzuki to show how the city has grown while he was away, she then whispered to her ear they should _elope_ for a few days to a romantic getaway outside of town, this of course made Yuzuki blush deeply as the mental image of him coming out of the shower was instantly in her head at the thought of being in an unfamiliar place alone with Minoru-Sama, after all within this walls the air was so familiar even if they were alone that she didn't really feel like they were alone regardless if they were or not, she could easily imagine going back to that routine and comfortable feeling around him as awkward as their first meeting was when he got back.

Hibyia made sure she whispered those words right before leaving and she waited to be the last one to say goodbye so nobody else would hear, she also made sure to make her voice just high enough so the young man next to Yuzuki could hear hopefully giving him some ideas, in all this years she had kept an eye on Yuzuki and had become like another daughter to her, she was happy unlike her own daughters, this girl could honestly start a real life with no scars from the past, the result was a very human personality that was still not quite done developing, much like a late bloomer, but you know what happens with late bloomers, they are usually the most beautiful inside and out once they blossom, sure there is the risk of them not ever come to blossom but she knew with Minoru-Kun's help she would get there eventually.

Zima and Dita finished cleaning up and said their goodbyes, Dita was particularly excited you could tell because as much as she was trying to hold back she had a glow to her and her eyes were all shiny going in and out of dream mode while Zima looked at her adoringly without her noticing being too busy in her own little word, he wished Minoru good luck right before they left, Yuzuki thought of this as odd but she pushed it away from her mind figuring they were not used to being social and that he might had used the wrong words since it was them who were going to venture on their very first vacation, she didn't want him to feel embarrassed by her correction so she just let it slide, on the other hand Minoru knew quite well who he wished luck to and for what.

And finally they were alone, again there was a change of mood, in the back of her mind she started to wonder if she was imagening things or if in these last few years Minoru-Sama had become more temperamental, she decided to bite the bullet and start talking to him, she was no mind reader and she needed to know at least how long he will be here to figure out a good approach to whatever was happening, who knows? Maybe it was a glitch or something that just needed to have looked at.

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I have plenty of free time and had completely forgotten about my story! if it wasn't for those talented people around here that made me crave reading some good stories and had to login to make a comment it would have been lost forever, shame on me!

Marina C. Luna


	6. Chapter 6

' Minoru-Sama?... I... are you busy? '

" Not at all Yuzuki. Come sit with me, what do you need? "

Yuzuki looked straight to his eyes and he could see her shyness to start talking but her determination to go through it, she decided to ask how long would he stay first and move from there, he was amused by how straight forward she had become, it was for the best but that didn't mean he couldn't have a little fun, he would make her work a bit harder to stay on track with that list of questions she seemed to have in her mind.

" Am I interrupting your traveling schedule perhaps? "

' Oh no! Is not like that, it's just you haven't said anything, all I know is that you will be here long enough for my check up but was wondering if you were back for good or just visiting..."

Before she kept on rambling he figured he should step in, but that doesn't necessarily meant to end her suffering, the temptation was too great, it was too cute to see her like this to resist.

" Is my little Yuzuki all grown up?! Is it that you have a boyfriend or a very special friend you want to spend time with? It's ok to tell me you know "

She blushed a new shade of red ' No, no, I don't have any close friends, my closest friends are actually long distance, more like penpals really at the moment '

He was planning on teasing her some more but that caught his attention " Penpals? That is interesting, you never told me about that, will you talk to me about these penpals of yours? "

' I am sorry I didn't mention it before Minoru-Sama, our talks were so rare and so short that by the time we had time to talk I had so many things to tell you that that little detail seemed unimportant '

She started telling him about her penpals, he was shocked to find out that she had 3 snail mail ones and a couple of online ones, he was expecting the online ones, after all for her sending emails back and forth would be a lot like a human having an internal dialogue, except she has the direct input of a friend when she gets a reply that is, so somewhere between thinking, daydreaming and counseling mixed in together, however the snail mail was much more personal, she probably felt lonely. As she told him about her penpals, all females close to her age, he knew he had nothing to worry about, she needed someone to have girl talk, one of them didn't even know if she was a persecom like herself or not since they have never mentioned anything about it and her friend never asked, it was nice to know she didn't feel the need to clarify that, it meant that it makes no difference for her, she doesn't have an inferiority complex or anything, that is good to know.

' I don't know if I will ever meet them, I am comfortable with what we have but sometimes I think it would be nice to not travel alone all the time... Hibiya-San suggested that I show you the city and maybe a little trip together but I don't know how long you will be around or if you have the time for that matter so... '

Minoru couldn't help but smile, was his angel suggesting they elope like Hibiya-San adviced?

" Yuzuki, I am not sure how long I will be around, it depends on so many things, but I would love to go on a trip with you "

She couldn't help but smile, they started to talk about potential places to go to and they agreed a quiet place with lots of nature would be best, perhaps to some healing springs in the mountains where there was a very old and cozy inn, they were so into their plans that they pretty much agreed to leave the next day, they would pack tonight and would buy whatever they needed before heading to the airport, if they forgot anything they would still have to drive a little from there so they could get it before heading to the mountains, everything sounded perfect.

She did voice her thoughts about the possibility of something being wrong with her, after asking him if they should move the date for her check up to before the trip, Minoru said it would be better to wait until they were back unless she thought it might be an urgent matter, that wasn't the case so they said good night and each went to their room to start packing.

His mind was racing that night in bed, poor innocent Yuzuki didn't know what she had gotten herself into, he started talking about this amazing hot spring hidden in the mountains he had not gone to since his parents were around, he was not surprised she had never been there before, after all he failed to mention it was owned by some old family friends and it had remained closed for years, their owners not really needing the money took their time on the renovations because they couldn't make up their mind if they should re-open or not, He picked up the phone and made the call.

" ... Thank you for your help with this Hikaru, I know it's a lot to ask... yes it's better if you have employees that don't know me around... don't worry we will see each other before coming back home... of course you will get to meet her, I just want some quality time with her first... it is a little too soon to be thinking about marriage Hikaru but thank you for the good wishes... "

Hikaru was a close friend to his mother and the owner of the springs, Yuzuki probably knew her by name as she would call him while he was growing up, they would talk every once in a while but she never actually get to meet her, Hikaru's only daughter passed away in a tragic accident not much after he had gone overseas and she now would call him more often to remember good old times, she once told him how much she wished her daughter and him would have ended up together but at the same time that she was glad he didn't had to go through the loss of a young wife having already lost his parents and sister at such a young age, she still thought of him as the son she never had though so there was little she wouldn't do for him, specially if it was to help him achieve happiness.

**Yuzuki's PV**

It was a little rushed but she was happy nonetheless, it was hard to believe how she managed to gather the courage and actually follow Hibya's advice but she had never given her bad advice before and it truly was what her heart wanted so why not? Being the modest and somewhat shy girl that she was, she was not too thrilled about the idea of a hotspring, it worried her if it would acceptable to wear a bathing suit, wondered if it was mixed bath or separate, it would be kind of weird after all to go all the way there and end up spending a lot of time in the springs away from each other, on the other hand maybe it was mixed after all and they could enjoy them together, but it sounded like such intimate thing, a lot like the kinds of things newlyweds would do in her mind, well that and spending time in bed...

' Oh my ' she whispered to herself, trying to get a hold of herself , letting her mind drift into dangerous territory was the last thing she needed right now.

It was unlike her to not plan ahead and be completely prepared but common sense let her know that if indeed bathing suits were acceptable they would have some for sale, is not like she wanted something fancy so she was sure she could find something, she did not own one and was embarassed to tell Minoru to stop to buy it, she would probably take hours trying to make up her mind with all the options out there, if bathing suits were not allowed it probably meant separate gender baths and that was fine with her.

**At the Hot Springs**

It was a beautiful place, everything was immaculate, strangely enough it was quite empty. They were very well received, the friendly lady that registered them mentioned about how it was almost the end of low season, they were working hard in their preparations for the high season, so in a nutshell she let them know they had ended up with the best of both worlds, the place had just finished some renovations but they had the whole place to themselves! They had a small tour of the place and to Yuzuki's dismay it turned out it WAS mixed gender hot springs, she blushed at the thought but was happy, they ordered dinner and while waiting, they agreed to go to the hot springs right after for a while and enjoy the sunset outdoors.

' Just give me a minute, I need to go to the lobby '

Minoru looked at her with what seem to be curiosity, in reality he was glad because it would just make things easier but he feigned ignorance. Right now he felt a little like a cat must feel stalking his prey, he would pounce and planned to do plenty of playing before he was done with her, not that he would ever be done with her, she was a keeper, he always knew that.

' I'll have to buy a bathing suit Minoru-Sama, I forgot all about it... haha '

He had to struggle very hard not to smirk at her nervous laugh, she is usually so organized and prepared, that is why he convinced her to come here on a whim, he doubted she owned a swimsuit and if she did he had the whole staff on his side to conspire, he almost felt sorry for his angel, almost being the key word.

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Note.- Next chapter will be interesting, dinner arrives and then it's bath time :O

Marina C. Luna


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